Safety device for railway motor cars



Feb. 24. 1925. 1,527,541

R. J. DOUGHERTY SAFETY DEVICE FOR RIILWAY MOTOR CARS Filed May 16, 1924 Patented Feb. 24, 1925.

. UNITED STATES ROBERT DO'UGHERTY, or cannon, ILLINOIS.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAY MOTOR CARS.

Application filed May 16,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT J. DOUGHERTY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Fulton and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Railway Motor Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety devices especially adapted to be applied to railway motor cars, and it consists in the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of simple, durable, and substantial nature, for application to railway cars of the smaller type, and which may serve as a scraper for clearing the track rails of obstructions in advance of the wheels of the car.

With the above object in view, the device includes an arm, which is pivotally mounted upon the frame of the car, and which carries at its lower end a scraper blade, the said blade being disposed transversely of the railway track, and at an acute angle thereto. A guide means is provided upon the frame of the car, for the arm. A lever is fulcrumed upon the frame of the car and means are provided for holding the lever at shifted or adjusted position. The working end of the lever is operatively connected with the arm, by means of a link which is pivotally connected with the said lever and the said arm.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a car, with the safety device applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the car, with the safety device applied.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the safety device, cut on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

As shown in the accompanying drawing, the railway car, to which the device is applied, is illustrated at 1. The safety device includes an arm 2, which is pivoted at a point between its ends upon a bracket 3, and the said bracket is secured in a suitable manner to the. exterior surface of the side rail or beam of the frame of the car 1. An arcuate guide member 4 is mounted upon the frame of the car, above the bracket 3, and the upper portion of the arm 2 is arran ed to slide or move between the intermediate portion of the ide member, and the frame of the car. fie lower por- 1924. Serial No. 713,768.

tion of the arm 2 is twisted laterally as at 5, and upon the said twisted portion is mounted a blade 6. The blade 6 is disposed transversely of the rail, upon which the car 1 travels, and is also disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal dimension of the said rail. A lever 7 is fulcrumed at a point between its ends upon abracket 8, and said bracket is fixed to the side of the frame of the car 1. The bracket 8 is provided with an arcuate segment 9, which in turn, is provided at its upper edge with notches 10. The intermediate portion of the lever 7 is guided under the arcuate portion 9 of the bracket 8. A link rod 11 is pivotally connected at one end with a working or lower end of the lever 7 and pivotally connected at its other end to the arm 2, at a point between the ends thereof, and at a point above the blade 6. A dog 12 is carried by the lever 7, and may be manipulated by the hand grip 13, whereby the said dog may be lifted out of either one of the notches 10.

When it is not necessary or advisable to use the safety device, or to have the blade 6 thereof in its active or working position, the lever 7 is swung to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, whereby the blade 6 is elevated with relation to the position shown in dotted lines, in Figure 1, whereby the blade 6 is elevated with relation to the track upon which the car 1 travels. lVhen it is desired to have the blade 6 in an active or operative position, the lever 7 is swung to the position shown in full lines in Figure 1, and at such time the blade 6 is disposed transversely across the track rail, and in close proximity thereto, and at an angle to the longitudinal di mension of the track rail.

hen the blade 6 is in its operative or active position, should it encounter an obstruction upon the track rail, the said ohstruction will be shifted laterally and passed beyond the side of the track, thus clearing the track rail for the free passage of the wheels of the car 1.

As hereinbefore stated, the safety device is especially adapted to be used upon railway cars of the smaller type, such as hand cars, motor cars and the like, but the same structural arrangement may be used to advantage upon larger cars, should conditions or requirements demand such use.

The device may be used for clearing snow and ice from track rails in the winter and by applying a blade 6 made of sole leather to the lower end of the arm 2. Therefore, the device may be used both as a safety dea vice and as means for clearing the track rails in winter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is:

A safetyidevice for a railway car com- I) prising a bracket adapted to be applied to the car, an arm pivoted at a point between its ends to the bracket, and having its lower end twisted laterally, a blade mounted upon the twisted portion of the arm and adapted U to be disposed transversely of the track rail,

and at an angle to the longitudinal dimension thereof, an arcuate guide member adapted to be applied to the car and receiving the upper portion of the arm, and

having end portions disposed in the path of movement of the arm, a second bracket adapted to' be applied to the car and having an arcuate section, a lever fulcrumed upon the last mentioned bracket and having its intermediate portion guided under said arcuate section thereof, a pawl carried by tl e lever, and adapted to engage the arcuate section, to hold the lever at a shifted position, and a link ro'd pivotally connected at one end with the working end of the lever,

ROBERT J. DOUGHERTY. 

